Without a Trace
by In2TheMystic
Summary: Percy wakes up in a hospital, finding out that he was in coma for 6 months and has amnesia. Waking up in Alaska, with no clues about his past besides his first name and a face that haunts him, Percy is determined to make the best out of the situation. With help from his new friends Hazel and Frank, maybe he can find the missing pieces and solve the puzzle that is his life.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to Rick Riordan, I'm just playing with the babies.**

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_Without A Trace: Prologue_

Percy was sure this had to be the worst week in his brand new recently discovered life.

A few days prior, he had woken up in a hospital, disoriented and apparently without any memory whatsoever.

He had found out he had been in coma for six months. During that time, the doctors had run various scans and tests, hoping that a possible solution would be found and he would awaken.

Once he had woken up and the new results had been looked over, they had quickly told him that he had retrograde amnesia. He had no memory access before the airplane accident that had left him on the hospital. They had told him that while some people only forgot a few months, there were cases where the memory loss could extend back to years.

While there were no real cures for amnesia, there were times when the memories would return by themselves. When he had asked them how long he would be like this, they had not given him a straight answer, telling him only that each case was special and that the effect depended on the cause.

The only memories he had, which admittedly weren't much, was his name and a face that haunted him.

The face was beautiful, deep gray eyes filled with laughter and blond curls framing her face. He had felt an irrational desire to run his fingers through her hair, wanting to see for himself if her hair was as soft as it looked. In his memory, he had called her Annabeth. He had spent nights chanting her name in his head, hoping it would bring back memories. His efforts were wasted, he still remained an empty shell with only a name but no past.

Percy was, or at least thought he was, a realist. He knew not to hope that his memories would come back, because even if they did, he was sure it would be a long wait. To be honest, he was confused out of his mind. He wasn't sure what to do. He was like a new born baby, thrust into a world where he knew nothing about, and much less himself.

The doctors had tried to cheer him up by saying that he was lucky that he still obtained his educational lessons, and knew about the world around him, even if he had no slight clue about his world. He had to admit he was a bit relieved he still knew how to spell, write, and speak, but that wasn't enough to keep his mind from gruesome thoughts.

He couldn't help wondering if he had a wife, a girlfriend, or heck even kids. Judging from his looks, he looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, at most. Even though it was painful, he couldn't stop thinking about what his life used to be like. He wondered what career he had, whether he was happy with his life, or hated his job with a passion. He wished and hoped for answers, no matter how small, to arrive. He was sure that if he could answer what his favorite color was, or what was his favorite food, he would at least get a bit of a rest. At least, until he jumped back, wondering about this or that.

Because the truth was, he had woken up in Alaska without a trace, and he was pretty sure it was going to be a tough battle to get his memories back.

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**A/N: I just want to make this crystal clear, this is a prologue, OK? I apologize for the shortness of it, I just wasn't...in the mood so there ya go.** **I really have no clue what the heck I'm doing with this story, I wasn't even positive if I was going to post it in this website or not. (Trust me when I say, I know how nasty some of you can be. I'm not saying all of you, but there are some little trolls in here.) But I decided the heck with it, either way it's bound to be a tough road for me considering it's my first story. **

**Anyway, as you can see Percy is very confused in this chapter. He has woken up in a place where he has no memory of, and no one knows anything about him. He was in airplane accident, which crashed in Alaska. He has no clues whatsoever, besides his first name and this face that makes him feel things that scares and confuses him even more. Hopefully, in the next chapter we'll see how he'll adjust to this "situation".**

**I'm writing the first chapter right now, but I'm not sure when I'll post it. We'll see how it goes.**

**Oh, before I forget, this hasn't been edited or beta'd so any mistakes are mine. If any of you find any, please kindly tell me and I'll check it out.**


	2. All you need is love

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan is the king of trolls, I am merely his servant.**

**This chapter is dedicated to: ArtemisApollo97. Thank you so much for doing the 3x combo: review, favorite, and follow! You made my day, and I love talking to you. Keep being awesome as cheeseburgers. ;D**

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_Without a Trace: Chapter One_

Percy had surprisingly adjusted well to the life of a small town. While the closeness and the fact that there were no secrets in a town this small, had scared Percy a bit in the beginning, he was now used to it. He had to admit he enjoyed the easy acceptance that came along with it, and most of all the Sunday potlucks-between Hazel, Frank, and himself- filled with warm delicious food.

He knew that his comfortableness was mostly because of Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang. Hazel and Frank had quickly become very close friends of his; he definitely owed them a lot. He had met Hazel in the hospital where he had stayed for over half a year, she was one of the nurses that had kept him company. It was no surprise they ended up being good friends, it was hard to not like Hazel.

It was she that encouraged him to check out the place that had recently vacated across the hall from her's. With some persuasion and promises, Hazel was able to convince the landlord of the apartment to let Percy get the space. Percy had thanked the man profusely. He had even told him he wouldn't regret it.

It was this that finalized the thought of finding a job. Percy knew he needed the money. This, however, proved to a hard, and admittedly weird, search. Percy didn't know what he was good at or bad at. He didn't know what was his degree or if he even went to college. The endless questions and blank answers frustrated him to say the least.

One night he was unlocking his front door, he was exhausted and could barely keep his eyes open. All he wanted to do was go to bed, and never wake up. He couldn't imagine going through another long day, having to see the pity in people's eyes while swallowing his disappointment.

He heard a commotion behind him. He turned around and saw a tall man struggling to make it up the stairs. His arms were full of grocery bags and he was muttering curse words at the broken elevator. Percy rushed to help the man, stuffing his keys in his pockets.

"Thanks, man," the man sighed. He let Percy take a few of the bags in his arms.

"You know, sometimes it helps to carry a few bags one at a time," Percy stated as he followed the man.

The man blushed, surprising Percy. "Yeah, I'll have to remember that," he muttered.

The man stopped at a door right next to Percy's. He saw Percy curiously looking at it and then at the man. "I'm Frank, by the way. Frank Zhang."

Percy nodded. "I'm Percy. Normally, I would shake your hand, but-" Percy looked at the bags in his arms.

Frank slightly jumped. "Oh yeah, sorry about that."

Frank dropped the bags on the floor, and fished for his keys in his pockets. His face was the picture of concentration, his tongue poking out of his mouth and his eyes narrowed. He gave a small cheer as he took out his keys.

Percy followed Frank inside. He copied Frank and dropped the bags in the table. He looked around the place. The layout of the place was similar like his, a small kitchen connected to the living room. In the hall next to the kitchen, there was a bedroom to the left, and the bathroom to the right. The only difference was the decoration. While Percy's was vacant and cold, Frank's was full of warm bright colors and pictures. Framed Chinese sayings were scattered around the kitchen. The bookshelf in the living room had various antiques such as elegant elephants, old pottery, and a symbol of a phoenix.

"Hey, do you want some tea?" Frank asked. He was already making his way to the kitchen.

"Um, sure."

"I was wondering when I was going to meet you," Frank said.

He turned around just in time to see Percy's confused look. "Sorry, I don't mean to creep you out. It's just that in a town this small, everything is old news and bam! Suddenly, you have a guy with no memories and no one knows anything about him. It's like an action movie or something," Frank chattered excitedly.

Percy leaned against a wall. "I...guess?"

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure it's terrible to not know anything about yourself," Frank's eyebrows pulled forward in concern.

Percy ran his hand through his hair. It was a habit that he had subconsciously picked up. He racked his brain, trying to desperately come up with something that could change the subject. He was starting to regret accepting Frank's offer.

"Do you fish?" Percy blurted out. He had noticed a fishing rod lying around Frank's living room.

Frank chuckled.

"Well when you live in Alaska, it's kinda second instinct. Instead of teaching you how to walk, they teach you how to hold a fishing rod at a early age. It wasn't a big surprise I decided to work in a fish processing plant," he joked.

Frank bought the steaming pot of tea in the small table, and poured it into two slightly chipped tea cups. He gestured for Percy to take a seat.

Frank watched as Percy carefully took his cup and blew softly in it. "I reckon this is too fast and straightforward but I was wondering..."

Frank stared at his hands. "Look I don't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything, but it's no secret you're looking for a job. There's an open space in the plant, and if you want it, it's yours."

Percy looked up suddenly. "W-What? Are you serious?" Percy choked out.

"I'm very serious. We can get you settled in as soon as possible, let you learn the tricks and all."

Percy's heart felt like it was soaring. Finally, something good had appeared in his life. "You know this might be the best possible news, besides Hazel, I've ever received in my life," Percy grinned.

"Hazel? You know Hazel?" Frank asked in a firm tone.

"Of course I do, she nursed me back to health," Percy chuckled.

"Nursed? So what? You guys are close friends or something?" Frank paled.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that. She was the one who suggested I get the place next door when I put my foot down at the suggestion of staying at her place," Percy said amused.

It was clear the poor guy had a crush on Hazel, and damn it if Percy wasn't going to poke a little fun in it.

"So Hazel wanted you to stay with her, huh? Well isn't that nice of her," Frank huffed.

"Yeah, she sure is a sweetheart. Plus, it's no secret that she's pretty too."

"Okay, enough, stop it right there! What, you like Hazel or something?" Frank demanded.

Percy couldn't contain his laughter anymore. "Dude you got it bad for her," he laughed.

"What? No!" Frank panicked.

"Oh come on! I was just messing around about Hazel and you act like I'm about to deflower her or something," Percy said casually as he took a sip of his now cold tea.

"Oh so you don't think Hazel is pretty enough for you, is that it? Well I'll have you know mister-" Frank's face had turned bright red with indignation.

Percy leaned back in his seat, his eyes wide. He ignored what Frank was saying, at this point, the guy was just speaking gibberish. He started to wonder if Hazel knew about how Frank felt. He asked Frank this.

"What are you on about? I don't have a crush on her," Frank choked out.

Percy rolled his eyes.

That night continued with Percy trying to get Frank to admit that he wanted to get hot and dirty with her. Of course, Frank kept denying it, saying Percy was barking mad. It was late when Percy finally left. He had forgotten about being tired, because quite frankly, that was the most fun he had in a while. Percy thanked God that he had met Frank. While Frank was a bit old fashioned, for god's sake the guy blushed and stuttered over the word _sex_, Percy was pretty sure that Frank would be a great friend.

Percy was determined to repay Frank's and Hazel's help by hooking them up. After all, all you need is love, right?

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**A/N: This story updates every ****_Wednesday_****!** **I hope no one thought I was going to quit on this story, because I'm not.**

**Originally, this chapter was going to be longer. It was two parts: the one where Percy flashbacks when he met Frank, and then it was going to fast-forward to the present. I decided it was too long, and most importantly I felt like it was too much information for one chapter. I wasn't sure if you guys would have understood what the hell was happening in that chapter, so I crossed that part out so no one would get confused.**

**I'm not going to write about how Percy got Frank and Hazel together. You'll see in the next chapter that...they're already together and time has passed. There's already too much going on, and I don't have time to write about Percy being Cupid. The next chapter will bring new characters and maybe some drama, we'll see. Yesterday, I wrote about two pages of the next chapter, and the chapter is not even done yet. So I don't know what the heck I'm going to do with that monstrosity. O.o**

**This chapter was "edited" by a friend of mine, and it hasn't been beta'd. If you guys have any suggestions for betas, I would appreciated it very much.**


	3. Frank is frank

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson, people. The only thing I own is a Jacob Black doll, and some worn books.**

**Reminder: This story updates every Wednesday.**

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_Without A Trace: Chapter Two_

"Tell me again why I have to go to this?" Percy grumbled.

"Because it's a great opportunity to socialize and let people think you're normal. Not to mention my brother is going to be there," quibbled Hazel from the passenger seat.

Hazel looked especially pretty today. Her curly brown hair was up in a ponytail, small curls framing each side of her face. She was wearing a white cardigan thrown on top of a navy blue sundress, which fit perfectly with her dark skin. She had insisted on wearing flats, stating that flats were very much underrated and unappreciated.

Frank had a hard time keeping his eyes off of her.

"Think of it this way: there's going to be free food and beer," suggested Frank. He briefly look at Percy though the rear view window before directing his attention back at the road.

Hazel rolled her eyes.

A few moments ago, Frank had moaned and groaned about how unfair it was that he had to "dress up for some damn dinner party", as Frank himself had put it. Percy secretly agreed with everything Frank said. For God's sake, if it wasn't for the fact that Percy was incompetent at tying ties and Hazel's patience was wearing thin, he would have been forced to wear a suit jacket. However, Percy believed he had gotten off lucky, having to only wear a sweater vest over his button down, and wearing dark jeans instead of slacks.

Frank and Hazel had gotten into a small argument over what Frank should wear. They ended up compromising, instead of a polo and shorts, Frank wore the same outfit as Percy: a white button down and jeans minus the vest. Huffing, Frank had rolled the sleeves up to his elbows.

Percy watched as Frank let go one hand off the steering wheel, wrapping it around Hazel's hand instead. Hazel's face was turned to the window but Percy saw that she was hiding a smile.

To say Percy was proud of himself in getting Frank and Hazel together was an understatement. He was absolutely in joy when he had stormed in Frank's kitchen, accidentally witnessing Hazel kissing Frank.

He was well aware on how perfect Frank and Hazel were for each other. It wasn't often a love that pure and innocent appeared. And damn it if Percy didn't do his every bit to get them together. Though Percy wouldn't admit it to anyone, at one point Percy was sure his plan would fail and everything would crash and burn. But like all his awesome plans, it had come through perfectly. After all, he wasn't the master of all plans for nothing.

Overall, they were a very cute couple, and Percy felt like a father looking at them two. In rare occasions, Percy wondered if he was acting too much like an adolescent girl. But he always brushed those thoughts aside, it wasn't his fault he was having fun.

Frank parked the car.

There was a moment of silence as they all sat quietly in the car.

"There's nothing to worry about, guys. Everything will be fine," assured Hazel, breaking the silence.

Percy kept quiet as they got out of the car and walked towards the house that was hosting this dreadful event.

While Percy had never gone to a dinner this big in this town, Frank had whispered him stories as Hazel was getting ready in the bathroom. Apparently, once every month, an extravagant dinner is planed for a selected few to attend. The purpose of this event was for the talk of politics and power, for the greater good of this town. People sometimes called it a dinner party since most people brought friends of their own to attend with them, ruining the "prestige" of the event.

Frank had rolled his eyes when he said that.

Percy wasn't sure whether or not to accept Frank's and Hazel's invitation. He had told Hazel that he wasn't going, that he doubted he was fit and ready for it. Hazel had smacked Frank lightly. She told him to ignore whatever it was that Frank had told him. Yes, there were people who just went on and on about political issues, but it wasn't all talk and no play. It was sort of a party after all. There was junk food, beer, and sports talk for the men; snacks, wine, and gossip were offered for the ladies. It was just a party where you had to slightly dress better than you usually did, you had to make an effort and all.

Percy had reluctantly agreed to go. He didn't see any harm in it, and he was bit curious.

Percy stopped and looked up suddenly.

The house-a two story building- loomed above him, tall and unnerving. Every window was illuminated, the second floor being the only one with closed curtains. The first floor windows provided a limited view from the inside. Most people seemed to be standing, drinking beverages and chatting among themselves. Percy saw a group of men in the living room, surrounding themselves around a big screen that was playing a hockey game.

He followed Hazel and Frank inside the house. Loud busy chatter reached his ears and the warmth of bodies surrounded him. Percy noticed there was no music playing. There was also no crushed beer cans littering around or smashed vases lying in bits on the floor. It was all very organized in a sense. The men were in the living room. The people in business suits and fancy dresses were in a close-knit circle in the dining room. The women with flowing skirts were in the kitchen, making preparations while talking.

Frank and Percy were following Hazel around like lost puppies. Hazel was looking around. Turning her head this way or that, probably looking for her brother. Percy didn't know much of Hazel's half-brother. He hadn't bothered trying to see a picture of him, he only knew his name started with an N. Nate? Nick, maybe?

If Percy hadn't been so immersed in his thoughts, he would have been more polite. He would have asked for more details and all. He tried to stop himself from feeling guilty by reminding himself that he had a lot in his mind right now.

A few days ago, he had obtained another memory from his past life. Even though the memory was a bit fuzzy and it only confused him more, he clung to it like his life depended on it. And if he was being honest with himself, it did.

The memory had been short, telling him only a few details. It featured him and a girl in what Percy assumed was his teenage room. The Percy in the memory looked to be younger than the present Percy. Memory Percy looked to be in high school, in his late teens at least. He was gangly and lean, awkward in his moves. He was wearing a Star Wars shirt, and his room was filled with Star Wars propaganda. Present Percy assumed he used to be a "geek". The girl, looked to be around the same age, was clad in black from head to toe. They appeared to be arguing about something. The girl kept telling him over and over that he should man up and tell her. Percy disagreed, saying that he didn't want to scare her or that he was sure she didn't return his feelings. The girl replied that he didn't know that for sure. The memory soon ended with "Just leave it alone, Thalia!"

It wasn't the first time he heard that name. He had gotten back a few memories where that name, among others, had been mentioned. The only ones he had told about his memories were Hazel and Frank. He wasn't sure what to think about his memories, they often just left him more confused than before.

"There he is!" exclaimed Hazel. She waved her arms around her, trying to get her brother to notice her.

"Look, Percy. Nico is kinda going through a hard time right now. One of his friends died a few months ago, and he's still pretty upset about it," whispered Frank nervously, "So don't get upset if he ignores you. He's just more moody than usual."

Percy looked at Frank.

Before he could open his mouth, and say anything, a man walked towards them. He assumed that this was Hazel's brother, even if they didn't look anything alike. While Hazel was short, dark, and radiated happiness, this guy was tall, pale as a piece of paper, and had a sullen look. His dark hair fell over his eyes, his face a picture of blankness.

"Nico, it's so good to see you," smiled Hazel. She knotted her hands in front of her, knowing he didn't like hugs.

"What's up, man?" Frank fist-bumped Nico.

"Frank. Hazel," Nico nodded.

"Nico, let me introduce you to Percy, he's a friend of ours," Hazel said.

Percy moved forward, already extending his hand. "It's nice meeting you. I've heard so much about you."

Nico looked at Percy and faltered. As if it was possible, he paled even more. His eyes were wide. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

"Is this a joke?" Nico whispered.

"What? What are you talking about?" Percy asked confused.

"I don't appreciate this. What's the meaning of this, Hazel?" Nico demanded. He looked pissed, like someone had insulted his mother.

"I-I don't know what you mean, Nico. This is Percy, he recently...moved into town," Hazel carefully said.

Frank kept looking back and forth at Nico and Percy.

"It's true. I...uh...lost my memories," swallowed Percy.

Nico looked at the ground, debating something.

"Do I know you?" asked Percy persistently.

Nico looked up.

He carefully looked at Percy's face, looking for something. His face changed, finally finding what he was looking for. "No, you don't know me. It was my mistake, I'm sorry. I just haven't slept well lately, I apologize," lied Nico.

Percy didn't stop looking at Nico, he was sure he was hiding something. And that that something, had everything to do with him.

Percy walked to the kitchen, carrying an empty bowl. He had offered to refill it, glad for an excuse to get out of Nico's close eye. While the guy was okay, he found that his staring was a bit creepy. He was wondering whether or not to ask Hazel if her brother was gay or bi.

"Hey, Hazel, do you guys have any more Lay's?" Percy asked.

"Don't tell me they finished the chips again," Hazel replied exasperatedly.

"Well you know how Frank is," smirked Percy.

"I'll go get some more. I think there's a few bags left in the closet," sighed Hazel.

He watched as Hazel left the room.

"Why are there chips on the closet?" Percy asked himself.

"There was no more room in the cupboards," someone replied.

Percy looked at his left. He hadn't noticed there was someone next to him.

"I'm Reyna, by the way," she offered.

Reyna reminded Percy of one of those ancient Roman praetors. She was poised, and had a quiet confidence around her. The type of confidence that said "if you stand on my way, I can promise you, you will regret it". She was tall for a girl, though she didn't quite reach him. She had a slow open smile that drew him in, that relaxed him yet at the same time made him alert.

"I'm Percy," he said while shaking her hand.

"Ah, yes, the...lost one."

"Well, that's one way to put it," Percy chuckled.

Reyna smiled.

"Percy! What took you so long? I was starting to think you got lost," Frank burst in, Dakota trailing behind him.

"Oh sorry. Hazel is getting the chips," Percy admitted.

He looked at Dakota, who was stumbling around and giggling at everything. Dakota was mostly known as the town drunk, though he was harmless.

_Sometimes_, Percy thought.

"Frank, you are so frank. Do you know that?" cried Dakota.

"Okay, I think you need to lay off the drinks," Frank stated. He caught Dakota as he was about to fall.

"No, man! I'm serious. You're the most honest man I know in like, my entire life," Dakota protested.

"Yeah, let's get you some fresh air. How about that?" decided Frank.

Both Percy and Reyna watched as Frank steered Dakota out the door.

"Anyway, how about some wine?" exclaimed Reyna.

"Sure. I would like that," grinned Percy.

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**A/N:** **Yes, when Percy was a teenager he was a "geek". You guys are going to laugh when you find out what his actual job is, and you'll find out soon. :D Admittedly, I think Geek! Percy is super cute.**

**So there you go, people! "New" characters, and possibly some drama.**

**To tell you the truth, I don't really like this chapter that much. I felt like it was a filler, and I just don't enjoy this chapter.**

**I tried finding a beta by myself, and the whole process scared the crap out of me. I think I'm just going to have my friend "edit" this story for me. **

**But, again, if you guys have recommendations for betas, please tell me.**

**For some reason, my line breaks aren't working, and it's pissing me off.**


	4. Never let a fool kiss you

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson, therefore he owns a part of my soul.**

**In the chapter: ****_Frank is frank_****, there's supposed to be a little "~0~" thingy between "Percy didn't stop looking at Nico..." and "Percy walked to the kitchen...". For some damn reason, FF. net didn't let me insert it, in fact it doesn't let me edit the past chapters at all. Stupid website.**

**My prayers go to fans, family, and friends of Cory Monteith. May he rest in peace. **

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_Without A Trace: Chapter Three_

"I'm starving," Reyna groaned.

"Me too. Let's get something to eat," suggested Percy.

"Oh, I know just the place," she announced.

She grabbed hold of his hand and dragged him behind her.

Two days had passed since he had first met her. They had spent the entire night they met talking to each other. Telling stories, expressing thoughts, and generally just having a good time.

Every time Percy thought about her, he felt warm. She was nice and kind, strong and smart. Reyna was just a really good person overall. He found her easy to talk, and he had to admit she was very pretty.

Still, he had surprised everyone, including himself, when he asked her to spend a day with him. He didn't know where it had come from but he couldn't stop himself. It had blurted out like word vomit. He instantly wanted to take it back, saying that it was the hangover speaking. But he didn't-he couldn't. As soon as the words had left his mouth, she had smiled a big smile that made her eyes smile and dance. He didn't want that to change. So he bit his tongue and only smiled when she accepted his offer.

Percy had picked her up at seven o'clock in the evening. He had to borrow Frank's car, though. He had been nervous, he didn't know if it was the good kind or not. She had opened the door in a black dress, tights, and a leather jacket that made her look bad ass. He had told her she looked nice, and she had complimented him on his new hair cut.

They went to the town's plaza, and found themselves looking around, trying to find something to do. Finally, they picked ice skating, laughing as they stumbled and almost fell multiple of times. They had shared smiles, and looks. They had...felt part of something, even if it was for a little while. For Percy, this was bad-really bad.

He didn't know what he was doing, he didn't want her to get hurt because he was confused. And confused, he was. His mind was locked in a battle. A side of him wanted to be with her. He wanted to explore where this relationship of theirs could take them. He wanted to be happy and feel like he deserved that happiness. But something-maybe someone-held him back. Stopped him from moving forward towards Reyna, twisting their fingers together and swinging it between them. But again he couldn't. He didn't want to bring her in this mess that was his life. She would be like a boat in the middle of an open sea, Percy being the uncontrollable sea. She wouldn't be able to do anything as the water raged, building and building until finally it would smack down, destroying everything in sight.

No, he couldn't do that to her. He would try his hardest to make her realize this was not a date. That they were only friends, and nothing more.

With determination, he took his hand away from hers and stuffed it inside his pocket. He walked faster until he was by her side. Reyna gave him a weird look, but didn't ask.

"Here it is," Reyna whispered, biting her lip.

Percy looked at the place she had chosen, congratulating her silently for choosing an Italian restaurant. He had a feeling he was fond of Italian food.

The restaurant was wedged in a corner, various shops surrounding it. On the outside, the restaurant was made to look like it was made by bricks. Two big trees were curved around the round red door, a path of stones lined by a wall of roses led the way to the entrance. The building was two stories tall, the roof was decorated with white Christmas lights. Black curvy letters spelled out the name of the restaurant.

Percy's spirit deflated when he saw the inside. All hope of Reyna thinking this wasn't a date went out the window as he looked around.

The place was decorated with the idea of romanticism apparently. In the middle of the room was dark brown round tables with creme colored mantels and bases filled with fresh-cut roses. The worn booths around the walls had candles instead of flowers. Couples were scattered in the restaurant, some were talking quietly to each other while holding hands. Meanwhile, others were very much preoccupied with something else.

Reyna led the way to a semi-secluded booth. Percy sat across from her, wishing there was more space between them.

Reyna looked down as she smoothed her dress.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, peeking up at him.

Percy struggled to find the right words. "It's very cozy," he decided.

"You should see it on Valentine's day. The owners go berserk," she snorted.

A waiter then appeared, acknowledging Reyna by her first name and nodding at Percy. Reyna and Percy decided to order their food along with their drinks. The waiter quickly left to get their drinks, and came back, setting the drinks on the table.

"How's work?" Percy asked before he took a sip of his water.

"Tiresome. I'm partnered with Octavian for an assignment," she sighed.

"Still has his head up his ass?" grinned Percy.

"I swear it's like it gets shoved deeper each time. He keeps trying to make me look bad in front of the boss," Reyna ranted.

Percy leaned back in his seat. He knew this could take a while; she could go on and on for hours about how much of a douche Octavian was. Every time someone mentioned his name, she would narrow her eyes, grit her teeth, fist her hands, and a red angry flush would cover her skin. Percy absentmindedly noted that she never looked more passionate and furious than talking about Octavian.

Admittedly, Octavian was a hard person to like. He worked with Reyna on the town's newspaper. While Reyna was top editor, Octavian was one of the best writers in the newspaper. He covered the politics side of the paper, his smooth words, subtle hints, and easy flow making him the best political writer this town has ever seen. It was a boost to his ego, not that he needed a bigger ego. Octavian was stubborn, cocky, ruthless, and most of all an asshole. Percy had only met him once. But his continuous questions and the hard glint in his eyes was enough for Percy to understand that they wouldn't get along. Ever since then, Percy had tried his hardest to avoid a conversation with him.

It wasn't until the food finally arrived that she stopped talking about Octavian.

A comfortable silence fell between them as they digged in.

"Anyway, how's work been treating you so far?" asked Reyna.

Percy swallowed and took a sip of his drink. "Can't complain. It's been good so far. I'm getting used to it, you know," he responded.

"That's good," she nodded, "I'm glad you're starting to feel at home."

Percy hadn't exactly said that but he didn't say anything.

She led the conversation to other topics, Percy inserting his input here and there.

He had been truthful when he said that his job was good. He had quickly gotten the hang of it, and Frank had proudly told him that he was a fast learner. Either way, work was a distraction from his thoughts and he welcomed it. At work, he was around people and he didn't feel so alone. Percy only stayed at his place at night, when he needed a bed to sleep in. Other than that, he was always out. He didn't dare call the place he stayed at his "home". To him, it was just a place he was staying at temporarily. The bare white walls and empty silence was not what he would describe a home like. He didn't want to intrude on Frank and Hazel by stopping by 24/7, but sometimes it was hard to find something to do. Because of that, he had picked up a new habit of taking walks. He much preferred people watching than staring at the ceiling in his room.

About an hour later, Percy stopped Frank's car in front of her house. Reyna had been silent throughout the whole ride.

"Do you want to come in?" she wondered.

"I rather not," Percy said slowly.

Reyna turned in her seat, facing Percy. Her face was close enough that she could see her eyes were a dark brown that could be confused for black. She was close enough that he could see how her bottom lip was a bit more full than the top one.

She kept her eyes locked in his, as she slowly started to lean forward. Percy was pretty sure that she wasn't leaning forward because he had an eyelash on his face. Just as she was about to close her eyes and touch his lips with hers, Percy leaned back as far as possible and turned his head away.

"Goodnight, Reyna," he gruffly said, not looking at her.

He felt her move back to her seat, that he had hurt her was pretty damn evident. She opened the door and slammed it without a word.

Percy growled, punching his fist to the steering wheel. He turned on the car, racing back to his apartment. The ride was a blur, in one second he was speeding past a Stop sign, and the next he was stomping up the stairs to his floor.

He couldn't believe he had almost let that happen. After the bullshit he had spouted, he had almost kissed her. His head hurt, and all he wanted to do was punch someone.

_He was damn fool._

Percy skidded to a stop as he saw Hazel's brother, Nico, waiting at his door.

Nico turned at the sound of footsteps. Percy was surprised to see an expression in Nico's face, he almost looked...well alive.

"We need to talk," Nico ordered.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to alyaJackson, it has come to my attention that I never quite clarified that this story is AU. Sorry about that, I guess I just thought it was obvious. But just to make it clear, there are not gods, monsters, demigods, ect in this story. This is completely AU. For those who don't know what AU means, it stands for Alternate Universe. Alternate Universe is sort of like "what-if's", the writer can completely change the characters, history, timeline, etc. It's kinda like their depiction of a story. **

**This chapter has not been edited due to the fact that I barely finished it yesterday. All mistakes are mine. **

**Okay, so next chapter we'll have the "talk" with Nico and Percy! Also, Reyna will not be with Percy in this story. I repeat: THIS IS A PERCABETH STORY. **

**For Without a Trace, I picture Lily Collins as Reyna. In fact, I got the idea of the ice skating/dinner date between Reyna and Percy from the stills of the movie Stuck in Love. **

**Unfortunately, I have a doctor's appointment today. :(**

**See you next Wednesday! **


	5. The Talk

**Disclaimer: I wasn't born in Texas, I was born in Cali. Do the math. **

* * *

_Without a Trace Chapter Four _

Percy and Nico were sitting in the dining table. They sat at separate ends, one beer each in front of them.

After Nico had told him that they needed to talk, Percy had unlocked his door and invited him in. If the tension around the room was anything to go by, it was pretty clear that they would need alcohol if they were going to "talk".

"Look if you're going to want to have sex with me, then I suggest you get a couple of beers in me. Oh, and some music would help set the mood," Percy nervously joked.

He knew Nico was just trying to collect his thoughts, but Percy didn't like this weird silence between them.

"What are you talking about? I don't want to have sex with you," Nico told him confused, slightly relieved of the distraction from his thoughts.

"Good because I'm not really ready to have a sexual relationship with anyone yet. I haven't met anyone qualified enough to speak the ancient language of lovers with me," he rambled on. Whenever Percy was extremely nervous or drunk, his mouth filter disappeared and he started speaking nonsense.

"Is it true you went out on a date with Reyna?" Nico curiously asked.

"Well I wouldn't call it a date..." he insisted.

"So it's true then? Percy, you can't go on a date with her, or anyone!" he lectured.

"And why not?" he retorted.

Nico drummed his fingers against the table. "Here's the thing...I may have lied to you about something, something really important. I'm not proud of it, but...surprisingly I don't regret it."

Percy sat straighter in his seat. "What did you lie about?" he demanded.

"When you asked me if we knew each other, I denied it. But the truth is, we do know each other. I've known you since I was ten," Nico admitted. His shoulders slumped forward, his head down.

"What?" Percy sputtered.

"I lied, okay? I know who you are, and it's about time you find out who you are," Nico snapped.

"You're lying," Percy chuckled, "You almost had me fooled." He waved his finger at Nico.

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? You really think that?"

Percy's demeanor suddenly changed. "I don't know what to think! I rather fool myself into believing you're playing a joke on me than accept the fact that you lied to me about something that...well people shouldn't lie about," Percy told him, raising his voice.

"I'm sorry that I lied, Percy Jackson!" yelled Nico. "I'm sorry, ok? Can we just leave it at that?"

"Jackson, huh? So that's my last name," Percy whispered.

Nico ran his hands over his face. Normally he wasn't one to drink, but he took a giant gulp of his beer.

"Tell me more," Percy struggled to say calmly.

"About?" he tiredly said.

"Everything. Anything. Apparently, you're the only one with the answers around here."

Nico ignored the jibe. "Your name is Percy Jackson, you don't have a middle name. You're 27 years old, and you have a girlfriend-"

"I have a what?" interrupted Percy, shocked.

"A girlfriend."

"So that's why you said I can't go on dates then," Percy muttered to himself.

He felt sick. Did that mean he had cheated on a possible girlfriend he had no memory about? Maybe he and Reyna hadn't kissed, but still-he had entertained the idea of being in a relationship with her.

"Is it Thalia?" Percy tried to swallow his guilt.

Nico looked disgusted. "Thalia? Dude, she's your cousin."

He racked his brain for possible names. "Ok, how about...Annabeth?"

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner!" Nico sarcastically told him.

Percy glared at him.

"So does that mean you remember Annabeth? And Thalia?"

Percy ran his hand through his hair. "Not really, I mean I've gotten a few memories of Thalia and other people recently. And Annabeth...well she was the only thing I remembered besides my name. I didn't know I had a girlfriend, though," he added as an afterthought.

"Yeah, well there's a lot of things you don't know about. Heck, there's some things I apparently didn't know about you. Never quite pictured you as someone working in a fish processing plant."

"What's my job then?"

"You create video games for a living."

"What?" Percy asked, sure he had heard Nico wrong.

"It's true, I swear. You and a friend of yours, Grover Underwood, both create and design video games. There's this video game you created based off Greek mythology. It was a hit, people went nuts about it. As a result, you created another video game based off Roman mythology, and in this one you kinda made fun of your Greek characters. It was awesome," Nico excitedly told him.

"I though I was only a geek in high school?" he mumbled.

"Percy, I don't think you'll ever stop being a geek. We met in a science fiction convention, we were both obsessed with this game called Mythomagic. We couldn't stop talking about it, and we just kinda hit it off," Nico chuckled.

"What were we dressed as?" he hesitated.

"I was dressed as an automaton while you were dressed as Zeus," Nico snorted, shaking his head.

"What's so funny?"

"Doesn't it seem a bit ironic that all of this happened because of an airplane crash?" Nico gestured around them.

"What was I doing in that airplane anyway?" This was something he'd always wondered about.

Nico turned serious. "You were going to a conference meeting. You were about to propose your idea of converging the two games together."

"How was I like?" Percy whispered.

"You were honest and loyal, funny and dedicated. A bit of an idiot sometimes," he sighed.

"I'm the friend that you were still mourning about, right?" guessed Percy.

"Look, we searched every second of the day, but we couldn't find you. Until finally after six months of waiting, we decided to leave you for dead. We still hoped, though. We hoped that somehow you were still alive, and you would return home."

"Home," Percy said, tasting the word.

"You may have lost your memory, made new friends, and created memories with them, but at the end of the day, this isn't your home and deep down you know I'm right."

"All I know is that I don't belong here, but don't tell me I belong there, wherever _there_ is located at. Truth is, I've changed. I still don't know who I am, hell I don't even remember you. My family, if I even have any, pronounced me as dead. So tell me how exactly am I supposed to trust you when you say I have a home?" Percy stood up.

"You do have a family. We may not be related by blood but I still count you as one. You have a mom, a dad, a younger brother, and a girlfriend. You have cousins, aunts, and uncles. You have friends who will always be there for you. You can't just throw that away."

"I'm not throwing it away! In fact, it's not even mine to throw away. These people love someone else, not me. They love the Percy they have memories of, not the one who has no memories of them."

"You're scared," realization dawned on Nico.

"I'm not. What do I have to lose? Nothing," lied Percy.

"I can assure you they'll love you no matter what. You could be a mutant with super powers and they would still love you. Percy, it's time to stop playing pretend and go home."

"Where exactly is this home you keep talking about?" Percy asked, changing the subject.

"New York. You have a condo there."

"The big apple, huh?"

Nico just took a sip of his beer. "What do you remember of Annabeth?"

"I remember her face and seashells for some reason. I uh...I don't know," Percy admitted. He was frustrated with himself, he hated not knowing.

He felt like an idiot.

"It's okay," Nico told him, noticing his discomfort.

Percy shook his head. "When did you become so...comforting? When I met you a few days ago, you had the emotions of a toothpick. Hazel and Frank can agree with me on this one. And now look at you! You should be awarded for displaying such various emotions to me," he told him half-joking and half-serious.

Nico had a slight smile on his face. "When you 'met' me, I was mourning someone who I thought was dead. Excuse me for not bathing in rainbows and skipping in mountains while singing songs."

Percy snorted at that.

"Plus, Hazel and Frank don't know me that well. That night was about the second or third time I've seen Hazel. I found out she was my sister about two months ago. The first time I met her, I was definitely not in a good mood. So I can say that their opinions don't count."

There was silence between them.

Percy looked down, thinking.

He walked towards Nico and extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Percy Jackson. It's nice to meet you."

Nico understood immediately. He knew that Percy was giving him a second chance. That even though he had messed up, Percy was willing to overlook that and start fresh. Nico knew that Percy had every right to yell at him or hit him, every right to end their friendship right here. But Percy didn't do that. Instead, he offered Nico a hand, a hand filled with no judgments and a clean slate. Because the truth was, they needed each other.

"I'm Nico di Angelo. It's nice to finally meet you," he said while shaking his hand.

* * *

**A/N: What is this? Is Nico actually a cheerful person? Did he actually chuckle? What?! Believe me when I say that I tried really hard to make Nico depressed and withdrawn but I couldn't do that to him. My baby deserves the opportunity to not feel like shit 24/7. (Did anyone notice the fact that he dressed up as an ****_automaton_**** in that convention?) **

**I actually warmed up inside while writing Nico/Percy bromance. I just can't help it, I like them bonding together. **

**Next chapter we'll have some preparations and whatnot, I can already tell I'm going to hate the next chapter. There's a high percentage it's going to be a filler, you guys. Damn it, I just want to get to the Percabeth moments. Is that too much to ask? Sadly, this story owns me now, most of the time it just writes itself out. **

**This chapter was kinda hurried because I'm in the middle of writing another PJO story, I'm actually in chapter 3 right now. But I'm not going to upload it at this moment, because I'm not feeling so sure about it. I'm not going to spoil it in case I do decide to upload it, just know it contains Percy/Annabeth/Grover moments. **

**Until next Wednesday! **


	6. Home is a four letter word

**Disclaimer: Look at how crappy I write. It's pretty obvious I'm not Rick Riordan.**

* * *

_Without a Trace Chapter 5_

Without Percy realizing it, he had agreed to go back to New York. As much as the idea of moving there terrified him, he needed to know. He had so many questions about himself and the memories he had. Percy had to pinch himself a few times to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The fact that the answers to his questions was within arm reach, no encouraging words meant to comfort him but real answers, was something he found astonishing.

Everything was moving fast, his life was in a current whirlwind at the moment. He barely had time to catch his breath, much less for trying to collect his thoughts. He felt disoriented sometimes, unsure whether he was making the right decision or not. While he was eager for the truth to come out once and for all, he had to admit he wasn't sure if he would be able to handle it. After all, some secrets were better left alone.

Through it all Nico was there for him, even if the guy's methods for cheering people up were weird. Every time Percy told him about his doubts, Nico would laugh and then look him dead in the eye, telling him that he hadn't done all of _this_ for Percy not to go to New York.

Nico had done his best and more making the appropriate preparations needed for this trip. He had told Percy to quit his job and tell the landlord of his apartment that he wouldn't be living there anymore. Because if everything went right, and fingers crossed it did, Percy would never have to return to Alaska ever again.

And that was the hardest part for Percy. He could take long-lost girlfriends and dressing up as Zeus any day, but giving up the only closest thing to a home he had? No, he wasn't sure he could do that.

Percy may have never fit quite well in Alaska, but he found a simple happiness there. He had found something that made him wake up every morning and made him hope that eventually he would find his place.

And that something was his friends, Hazel and Frank.

As soon as they could, Percy and Nico had come clean about everything. On Percy's request, they didn't hold any details back. While Hazel had cried a bit for him, and Frank had looked at him in a new light, they didn't say anything. They had just silently hugged him. They knew that no words were needed, only the reminder that he wasn't alone.

As much as Nico cheerfully reminded him that this was a new start, he didn't want his friendship with Frank and Hazel to end. They were family to him, the only thing that kept him grounded when he was too immersed in his thoughts.

He told them this, and to his relief, they agreed with him. Hazel had tried hard not to cry because bonding experiences and goodbyes always made her emotional. Frank had said that not even Nico could tear them apart.

Percy had to laugh at that.

Recently, Nico had been like a robot on a Red Bull rush. He was restless, tired, and constantly at edge. He cursed at anyone that remotely even breathed in the same room as him.

Percy couldn't blame him. Nico had been given the responsibility of breaking the news to Percy's alleged family and friends back in New York. Taking in the broken pencils scattered around Nico's couch, it was obvious they hadn't taken the news lightly. Nico's cell phone was practically glued to his ear. Whenever Nico saw Percy he would stare at his neck as he broke yet another pencil.

The only condition Percy had given Nico was that Percy wouldn't accept any calls from them. He knew he wasn't ready to talk to them, though he was well aware he only had a few hours before he would see them face to face.

Another argument Nico and Percy had was about the transportation. Percy's trust towards airplanes had dropped down to zero. No way in hell did he ever want to get inside that death trap again. Nico told him that unless he had some powers that could take them to New York fast they would be stuck with air travel. Percy had reluctantly agreed, he knew protesting was pointless at this point. They had to go to the next town though, since this town didn't have an airport.

Percy faintly knew he was forgetting something and it wasn't until it was in front of him that he remembered. He had forgetting about his situation with Reyna. Last he saw her, she had been hurt and pissed at him.

Stuffing the paper with Frank's and Hazel's Skype address into his pocket, he straightened up as Reyna walked towards him.

He didn't know what she was doing in the airport, but here she was, just in time before he left.

"Oh look! That poster looks interesting, I'm going to go check it out," Nico said with fake-enthusiasm, fast walking to where the poster was.

"Frank accidentally let it slip that you were going to New York today," she told him, skipping the greeting part.

Percy said nothing.

"I already knew you were going to New York. As you know, there's no secrets in this town. But I didn't know you were going _today_, and I certainly didn't expect _Frank_ to be the one telling me. Can you believe I actually thought you would tell me personally?" she scoffed.

"Reyna," he sighed. He didn't know where to begin.

"Save it, Percy. I'm not some needy little girl who thinks only of herself. I get it, I really do. Next time though, and I seriously doubt there's going to be a next time, a little warning might be nice."

"I have a _girlfriend_," he stressed.

"What?" she sputtered.

"I have a girlfriend," he continued, "Her name's Annabeth, and I have almost no memories of her. I'm expected to love her but how can I love someone I don't know? What if she can't love this new me?"

He didn't know why he was telling her this. Maybe it was the fact that she didn't judge him, or maybe he was just this desperate.

Reyna's expression softened. "Percy, do you want to know why I was interested in you? It wasn't because you're a great listener. Okay it kinda was, but that's not the point. I liked you because it was clear you were trying, and through all of this, you still remained an honest and open person. Sure you came with baggage, but everyone has baggage. Everyone brings problems whether you like it or not, that's life. I can't guarantee you anything but if she truly loves you, she'll love you no matter what."

"Thank you, it means a lot," he admitted.

"Glad I could help _someone's_ love life," she sighed.

"Percy, it's time to go," Nico yelled, earning a few disapproving looks from people nearby.

Percy started walking backwards. "You know I'm no expert, but I hear Octavian is single. He's still an asshole but at least he doesn't have any girlfriends lurking around New York."

"I didn't know you were interested in blondes, Percy," she teased, pretending to act innocent.

"Well my girlfriend _is_ blonde. Plus, I've noticed you have quite a fetish for blond men," he winked.

The last image he saw before he turned around was Reyna smiling at him.

It wasn't until he was already onboard the place, fisting the armrest and praying to God, that it hit him. That had been the first time he had called Annabeth his girlfriend. Sure, he had said before he had a girlfriend, but never had he said the words "my girlfriend". Surprisingly, it had fallen from his lips easily.

It gave him hope that maybe-just maybe-he was ready for this.

* * *

**A/N: I bet some of you forgot about Reyna, huh? **

**So I'm actually starting to like Reyna with Octavian, but ****_only_**** on AU's and fanfiction. In the books, Octavian is a (fabulous) little shit that needs to get his ass kicked. However, it seems that I'm the only one that ships them, which is fine by me. I don't expect people to root for them. **

**Let's see. . . I think that's all I have for now, guys. Um next chapter you'll get the reunion and whatnot. **

**So that will be all, until next Wednesday!**


	7. Never let me go

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan is the one making bucks out of this, I'm not.**

* * *

_Without a Trace Chapter 6_

Percy was so not feeling the love.

The flight had taken about seven hours.

_Seven goddamn painful hours._

His back ached, he had a killer migraine going on, and he was hungry. Nico could agree on the last one. Airplane food sucked.

As soon as they got out of the airport and had their stuff ready, Nico hailed a cab and told the driver to hit it to the nearest fast food restaurant.

They were now a block away from Percy's condo, where Percy was expected to stay at. He didn't want to think about that. He had asked Nico if he could maybe stay at his place, but Nico told him that he didn't have an actual place. Nico was more of a freeloader.

Percy guessed that maybe staying in his condo wasn't a bad idea. After all, maybe being around his stuff and actual room could unveil more memories. It could give him more clues to this puzzle.

The driver stopped in front of the place. Nico took out his wallet and paid the driver, ignoring Percy's protests that he could pay.

They soon got out of the car, grabbing their luggage from the trunk.

Night had fallen into the city. Thankfully, there were lights around that made it possible to look around. Percy took the opportunity to absorb the details of the building. The only word that came in mind was the word grand. Percy was no expert in architecture. While he didn't know architectural slang, he did know the basics. The building was tall, an unavoidable presence. It had solar panels in the roof, and it appeared that every inch of space had windows. Some of the windows reflected the light from the inside. Balconies zigzagged their way in the building.

Percy's apartment in Alaska had been modest and small. He knew he lived in a condo, but Percy couldn't help but think how different his two lives were starting to look like.

"Don't worry only a few people will be there," Nico assured him, misinterpreting Percy's look.

Percy ignored him.

"I"m serious. There's only about seven people. I knew you wouldn't feel comfortable with a Welcome Back party."

"Thanks," he muttered.

He stood in front of the door. Before he could knock, the door opened.

In front of him stood a middle age woman, older than he was. She appeared to be in her late forties, the gray strands clear in her black hair. Her blue eyes were filled with tears, a hand covering her mouth.

"Oh god," she whispered. She looked at him from head to toe.

Percy stood transfixed in front of her, unsure of what to do.

"Is it okay if I hug you?" she asked him, her eyes blurry with wetness. It was evident she was trying to pull herself together.

He numbly nodded.

He closed his eyes as she enveloped him in a tight hug and a sweet smell of tea hit his nose. She was shorter than him, her small frame fitting against his own. He instantly felt protective of this woman. Cooking odors and the sound of a lullaby, whose words he couldn't quite make out, filled his mind.

And it was so surreal for Percy that he was hugging his mom.

He hugged her tighter and she squeezed back.

Nico cleared this throat. "Now I don't mean to interrupt this crucial bonding experience but I would like to get out of the cold."

"Oh come here you," she playfully growled at him, pulling him into a hug. She whispered in his ear, thanking him. He nodded, acknowledging her words.

Percy stepped inside the condo. He could see a group of people inside the living room, staring at him. He ignored the stares and concentrated on Nico. Percy wasn't sure what to do. He wondered if he should leave his luggage here or take it to his room, which he had no clue where it was.

A man stepped forward and walked towards him. He had thick brown hair and a bounce to his step. He had a kind smile and his worn brown leather jacket softened his features.

"Here I'll take these for you," he told him, grabbing Percy's luggage and duffel.

"Thank you," Percy said in relief.

"Hey, what about me?" Nico protested.

"I"m sure you can carry it by yourself," the man replied, already walking away.

Nico grumbled, throwing his duffel to the floor.

"Hey Percy!" a boy greeted him. He looked about fourteen, tall frame and long limbs. He had shaggy brown hair and warm brown eyes.

Percy guessed this was his younger brother.

"Hello," Percy politely said.

"You don't remember me, do you?" he guessed. In another time, his older brother would have walked towards him and ruffled his hair just to annoy him. Never would he just vaguely acknowledge him.

"I uh," Percy licked his lips. He looked at Nico for help.

"Tyson, that's enough," another man firmly said. He came up behind Tyson and gripped his shoulder. He was obviously Tyson's father and that probably made him _his_ father also. Looking at his face, his suspicion was confirmed. Percy was the spitting image of this man, they had the same green eyes and black hair. Not to mention their features were almost identical.

"Hello Percy. I'm Poseidon, your father. It's nice to have you home," he smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners.

"Thank you. It's uh nice to be back," Percy nodded.

Looking around, he noticed someone else in the background. A very blonde someone. He was surprised she hadn't talked to him earlier but he guessed she wanted him to come to her in his own time.

She met his look, her eyes searching his face.

"Annabeth," he breathed out.

The others fidgeted, some looking away from them as if to give them privacy.

She took a step forward and another until she was standing before him.

"Hey," he hesitated.

"Hi," she half-smiled.

He kept staring at her, not being able to find the right words to tell her what he was feeling.

Someone cleared their throat. "Well I'm Grover. Grover Underwood. Your partner-in-crime and part-time comedian," he informed.

Percy looked away from Annabeth and stared at Grover.

Wearing a Star Trek shirt and some black framed glasses, he looked relatively harmless. He was shorter than Percy and skinnier. While Percy at least had some muscles from working out with Frank, Grover was a bit scrawny.

"I remember you," Percy exclaimed.

"You do?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"A bit," he shrugged, "I think we were drunk and went fishing one time?"

"Oh yeah! Dude that was awesome," recalled Grover.

Percy also remembered some of their fights about Star Trek and Star Wars. Most of those arguments ended pretty nasty.

"Everyone sit down," Percy's mom ordered, "It's rude to just stand there staring."

The open and spacious living room they were standing at was decorated with impeccable taste. The floor was dark brown hardwood, a coffee table was set in the middle on top of a white rug. A framed mirror hanged on the wall reflecting back the tall floor lamps. Framed pictures and small plants were on top of the floor cabinets. The pictures featured family members and Percy and Annabeth together. The brown sofa with navy blue pillows faced the flat screen, the arm chairs on the opposite side and a matching brown La-Z-Boy on the other side. Flowing white curtains covered the windows around the walls. Painting of landscapes hung around the room. A beautiful grand piano was set against a wall, the bench a leather light brown. A twisting black and white staircase led the way upstairs.

Everyone moved to their respective seats. Percy could hear Grover whispering "he remembers me!".

"Come on Percy, you can sit with me," she said, grabbing hold of his hand and dragging him towards the couch.

Percy sat wedged between his mom and Nico.

"So I'm guessing we're supposed to talk about this," spoke Percy.

"That's the general idea, yes," Grover answered.

"Well what did Nico tell you guys about me?" asked Percy.

Sally took a deep breath. "He told us about how he found you in Alaska, I think, and you were in a coma for six months. How you didn't remember anyone."

Percy squeezed her hand.

At that moment the man who had offered to carry Percy's bags to his room returned.

He sat in the couch arm, taking Percy's mom's unoccupied hand.

Percy stared at it. When she noticed his stare, she breathed out a laugh.

"Stupid me. Percy, this is Paul, my husband," she smiled.

"Your husband. I thought _Dad_ was your husband." Percy looked at his father to see his reaction.

Poseidon uncomfortably looked down.

"Your dad and I divorced when you were twelve. A year later, your dad was with someone else and Tyson was born. I married Paul when you were fifteen," she explained.

"Right, I knew that," he muttered.

"It's great to see you again," Paul told him.

"Thanks. Anyway, it's true, I lost my memory-" he started.

They spent a while talking about this or that. They had many questions but Percy had more.

If it were up to them, they would have stayed all night and morning talking. However, Percy's mom, whom he later found out her name was Sally Blofis, reminded them that Percy was here now. That he needed time to think by himself, and they should let him rest.

They all begrudgingly left, a dew deciding to stay over after asking Percy and Annabeth if it was alright. Percy's dad and brother had left a while ago, Poseidon mentioning that it was way past Tyson's bedtime.

Nico had taken him to his room, promising that Annabeth would give him a tour tomorrow.

That was another big surprise for him. Apparently Nico had failed to mention that Annabeth lived with Percy. It seemed that he used to have a pretty serious relationship with her, considering she had her stuff all over the place. She had told him that she could stay somewhere else if he was uncomfortable. He rushed to tell her that no she didn't have to leave. That yes, he was perfectly fine with her staying. He knew that she didn't quite believe him but she let it go, much to Percy's relief. He already felt like shit because he didn't fully remember her, the last thing he wanted to do was kick her out of her home. Because this fancy condo was definitely more _her's_ than _his'_. At the moment, he didn't exactly feel at home.

Throughout his talk about his adventures with Frank and Hazel, both Grover and Annabeth had gotten a slight bitter look in their faces. He almost wanted to stop talking and asked them what was wrong. But he didn't, because the answer soon came to him. It was obvious they were feeling left out. Years of being the ones Percy raved on about reminded them that they were a big part of his life. Then you yank out Percy, the best friend and boyfriend, from the equation. Add that when you finally see him again, he has no memory of you. Shake lightly and there you have it people: the craptastic situation he's in. No wonder they were feeling bad. Any normal person would have run for the hills by now. But even though he didn't quite remember them, they still stayed by his side. And Percy would always be grateful for that.

He couldn't have asked for a more supporting audience than he had. He didn't know what he had been so worried about earlier. Sure, he hadn't met the entire family and friends but so far, they seemed pretty nice.

And ironically that made Percy feel even more shittier. When Nico told him who he was, all he had worried about was Annabeth. What she was going to think about him, if he would be able to love her, blah blah blah. He acted like a goddamn chick. He had moaned and groaned about this or that. He hadn't stopped to think about his parents or his kid brother. Not that he regretted thinking about Annabeth. The truth was that his nervousness multiplied a thousand times when she looked at him. But still that was no excuse. Never had it occurred to him how worried sick his mother was, how much his father missed him, or to top it all of how much his brother needed him.

For Percy, it was the strangest thing that someone needed him. It was a position that scared him. The idea that someone blindly put his trust on him, that Percy's happiness was their happiness also, was pretty darn new for him. But Percy was persistent and determined. He promised himself that he wouldn't disappoint them. He would make sure to set things right.

That's why after trials and errors he found himself in the middle of the night knocking on Annabeth's temporary room. Turns out that Annabeth and him used to sleep in the same room together. He almost had a heart attack when he found out. With some embarrassment, he had politely asked her if she could maybe stay in another room for a while.

He was praying to God she didn't shout at him for waking her up this late. With his luck, her sleepy mind would probably think he was a burglar and try to beat the stuffing out of him.

The door opened. Annabeth came out, rubbing her eyes and wearing a men's shirt and some pajama bottoms.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" she yawned.

Percy tried hard not to yawn back. "I couldn't sleep."

"So you decided to wake me up at two a.m.?" she questioned.

"It's just that we didn't talk that much and I decided we needed to...well talk."

Annabeth thought for a moment. "Come on in," she said at last, moving out of the way.

Percy entered the room. A few things popped out as he looked around: big messy bed, clothes thrown over a chair, pristine white walls, and a clock ticking.

"Sorry about this," he gestured around the room.

"It's fine. I wasn't surprised considering you don't know who I am," she closed the door.

"Yeah, about that, I'm guessing Nico didn't tell you I never exactly forgot you."

"He maybe have left that information out," she offered.

"He seems to be doing that a lot," he muttered.

She sat on the bed, crossing her legs. "Go on," she encouraged.

He sat at the edge of the bed. "When I woke up at the hospital I had no clue where I was or how I got there. I didn't know the answers to the questions they asked. All I had was the name Percy and a brief memory. You were in it...I saw your face and called you Annabeth. It was nothing, really, but I still held on with two hands. You were sort of like this beacon to me."

"Thank you. I guess it's safe to say that no guy has ever called me a beacon before," she slightly smiled.

"Right," he chuckled.

He looked down briefly, then focused his attention.

"Hey, isn't that my shirt?" he asked.

"What? No," she said quickly.

"I think it is. I remember wearing it when we were at an arcade. And the reason it was so special was because it had a koi fish on it."

"You remember that?" she bit her lip.

"Well yeah. I was watching this documentary about koi fishes, Frank's obsessed with them. Next thing I know a new memory was unlocked," he shrugged, "But hey, don't change the subject."

Annabeth played with her fingers. "Look, when you left, I was a mess. Not a day went by without missing you. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't really focus on anything. Until finally Sally gave me this whole speech about how I wasn't doing anyone a favor by messing up my health. She told me you wouldn't want this for me. And I just-I snapped. I started screaming at her and throwing things around. Grover found us crying in each other's arms. Ever since then I've tried to do what's right. I don't miss a single work day and I clean up after my messes. I have trouble sleeping sometimes, and I took up the habit of sleeping in your shirts. The smell of you has worn out though."

Percy fisted the comforter. "Well I don't know if I should feel touched or worried that I don't have any shirts left," he joked feebly.

"I'm sorry," she said out of nowhere.

"For?" he asked.

"Everything. I'm sorry you were in a coma. I'm sorry you lost your memories. But I'm mostly sorry you don't remember us," she tried to smile.

"Hey, it's not your fault, ok? Nothing that's happening is your fault. Sometimes things happen, and they _suck_. But that doesn't mean it's your fault," he stressed.

"Majorly suck," she repeated.

"Besides, you're not the one that should be feeling sorry. I have a confession to make," he admitted.

She signaled at him to continue.

"Keep in mind that I didn't know you were my girlfriend, alright? So there was this girl back in Alaska, and she liked me. I stupidly asked her to hang out with me and it wasn't until later that I realized she might had interpreted it as a date. Nothing happened, I swear. I have no feelings for her and she thinks I'm an asshole," he rushed.

Annabeth froze. "Did you have sex with her?" she forced out.

"What? No!" he protested.

"Did you kiss her?' she pressed on.

"Well...," he trailed off.

"Percy," she warned.

"She may or may not have tried to kiss me but I didn't let her. I couldn't kiss her."

"Couldn't? So what, you wanted to kiss her?"

"No, I didn't, ok? Can we please stop with the interrogation?"

"Percy, I'm trying to be sympathetic and understanding about this. But it's starting to be really hard since all I want to do is _punch_ you right now," she gritted her teeth.

"So do it." Annabeth gave him a look. "No, I'm being serious. If it'll make you feel better, punch me."

Annabeth hesitated a bit but then reached over and punched him hard on the arm.

"I'm really sorry. Not only for this, but for everything. You don't deserve this, and I'm _so_ sorry," he confessed, trying not to wince.

Annabeth ignored his apology, rolling her eyes at him. "You know, you should get a tattoo of your full name along with 'Annabeth Chase is my girlfriend'. Just in case."

"I'll think about it."

She yawned. Percy looked at the clock, deciding it was time he left.

"Goodnight," he sighed, standing up.

"Wait," she said, grabbing his arm.

He looked at her.

She let go of his arm slowly. "I want you to know I believe in you. I know you'll soon remember us all. I have faith," she whispered.

"Thank you, Annabeth."

"First time you said my name," she mumbled, crawling under the covers.

"For the record, I haven't had sex with anyone."

"Get out," she ordered, turning around to hide her smile.

He looked at her, shaking his head, and closed the door after him.

* * *

** A/N: *sighs* So that was really crappy, sorry about that. I guess I'm just not feeling it. *shrugs* **

**In this chapter, Percy only met some people. He'll meet a few others later, and of course he's going to have to adjust to life in New York. Sucks to be him right now, but things are looking up with Annabeth. Look at how they're interacting with each other, ****_progress_****, people. **

**I'm getting a bit tired of melodramatic Percy, I just want him baking cookies with Annabeth. But it is understandable, considering the situation he's in and just how much over his head he is. **


	8. Bad Company

**Disclaimer: My middle name isn't Russell nor am I a Jr. **

* * *

_Without a Trace: Chapter 7 _

"-and here's your office," Annabeth finished.

As promised, Annabeth had given him a tour of the place early in the morning. The others had slyly left them alone by declaring they all needed to go shopping for food and that they would return until late at night.

After leaving her room last night, Percy hadn't gotten much sleep. He had too much energy, all he could do was toss and turn in his bed. Looking at Annabeth's face, it appeared she hadn't slept much either.

He was surprised to see that his office looked so...sharp, for a lack of a better word. A black TV storage adorned one of the walls. Battlestar Galactica merchandise was on top of the shelves and posters of Doctor Who covered the wall behind. The flat screen looked sleek and shiny. A tall glass door cabinet held sparkling drinkware and a shot glass collection. In the front of the room was a clean wide desk. On the sides of the desk stood neat sets of binders and papers. A blue-green mouth blown glass vase held smooth pens and sharpened pencils. Next to the brown leather swivel chair was an empty wastebasket. A few woven rugs covered parts of the wooden floor. There was a fireplace in the room, set on the side. A faux sheepskin rug was set in front of the fireplace, a rocking chair and some green armchairs around it. A bookcase was filled with books that ranged from science fiction to politics. Surprisingly, everything had a shine, not a layer of dust was visible.

"Where's your office?" he asked. He didn't remember seeing another office in the tour.

"Oh I don't have one here. My office is in the company building," she answered.

Annabeth worked as an event planner, her perfect timing and flawless planning made her very sought after.

Percy noticed a silver laptop sitting quietly in the middle of the desk. "Is that my laptop?"

"Yeah it is. I have to warn you though it's password protected among other things. We didn't touch it, it has all of your work ideas and details."

Percy ran his fingers lightly over it and sat down in the chair. He opened the laptop and carefully turned it on. As soon was it was done loading a pop-up appeared asking for a password. He stared at the keyboard, fingers hovering over it. He typed the first thing that came in his mind and was awarded by the pop-up shaking, stating that it was the wrong password.

"If you want, I can ask Grover to try to hack in," she told him.

He closed the laptop, feeling sick.

"You said this was a work laptop? Do I have another one?" he shook his head.

Annabeth pointed to the left drawer of the desk.

He opened it, taking out a white laptop that had a sticker of the Cookie Monster on the corner.

"The password is bluecookie120," she called out, leaving the room.

He didn't ponder on how she knew the password because he soon got distracted by the background he had. It was a picture of Annabeth and him grinning at the camera, sand stuck on their shoulders and the blinding sun above their wet heads.

He traced Annabeth's smile. She looked so damn happy, eyes shining as she made bunny ears at Percy.

He shook his head, chuckling.

Annabeth was new yet familiar to him. Percy knew this body had loved her, unconditionally and passionately perhaps. Even though he didn't love her yet-after all he had only met her for a day-he was sure it wouldn't be long until he did. After all, he was starting to like Annabeth.

And it was the little things that came to his mind when he thought about her. To the way she would slowly rub her arm when she was daydreaming. To the small flashback where he heard her laughter as he singed off-key to a country song. Or the sound of glass breaking almost drowned by the pouring rain and voices screaming.

_He was a doomed man._

He began creating an email account, carefully completing each step. Once his account was successfully made, he began composing a message detailing about yesterday's events. he planned to send it to Hazel and Frank as soon as he was done typing it.

Piercing shouting broke Percy out of his stupor, he quickly saved the email into his drafts and opened the door. As he got closer to the living room he could hear the voices more clearly.

"After all we've been through together, I have a right to see him Annabeth!" a familiar voice shouted.

He heard Annabeth arguing back.

Percy's eyes slightly widened as he understood why the voice sounded familiar. Though the voice was older and grumpier, Percy knew who the voice belonged to. Heck he remembered her annoying habit of calling him stupid nicknames. It was Thalia, his cousin.

"It's fine, Annabeth," he decided.

Thalia turned around in her seat at the sound of his voice. "There you are! You had us worried, you jerk," she said in relief.

Thalia looked tired. She had short black hair that highlighted her blue eyes. Gone were her punk days. She now wore a blue t-shirt and some sweats. Percy stopped suddenly as he noticed something.

What that a-no way was that-

_A baby bump?_

"What's that?" he demanded.

"I have a fetus inside of me," she said so simply that he felt like an idiot.

"I know that. It's just-wow Thalia, you look amazing," he lied. She had bags under her eyes and a slight upsetting pout. She looked miserable.

"Shut up. I know I look disgusting. I _feel_ disgusting. I'm hungry 24/7 and I always get this weird craving of pickles with peanut butter and cream cheese," she grumbled.

"Well how far along are you?"

"About four months."

"Congrats, Thalia. And it's Luke, right?"

Sitting silently next to her, protectively holding her hand, was her husband. With his blond hair and blue eyes, he looked like a stereotypical jock. But jock he was not, Luke preferred a quiet night in and the company of books. He calmed Thalia down while she let him live life to the fullest.

Percy faintly remembered their wedding, it was mostly a haze. It consisted of watching Thalia do a shots contest and, as a result of getting drunk a hell, announcing to the guests that she and Luke were going to have sex that night.

"Luke Castellan," he nodded.

Percy sat in an armchair. "Well Luke have you been taking good care of Thalia?"

"When she isn't sending me in the middle of the night to get her donuts dipped in nacho cheese, yes," he quipped.

"Hey, that was only one time," she protested.

"The donuts? Yes. But the nacho cheese-"

"I'm going to the kitchen," announced Annabeth.

"Can you get me some honey crackers with berries on top?" Thalia asked.

Annabeth closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Do you want anything, Luke?" she clenched her jaw.

"Just water, thank you," he said politely.

Annabeth turned to Percy. "And you?"

"Nothing. Thanks, though."

Percy and Luke watched as Annabeth stormed to the kitchen. Thalia was too busy fanning herself to notice.

"Is something wrong with you and Annabeth?" Percy slowly asked.

Thalia waved it off. "She just gets annoyed with me sometimes, that's all. She can't stand my pregnancy hormones."

"That and you treat her like she's your personal maid," Luke said quietly.

Thalia sighed. "Enough about me for now. What about you? How is my favorite cousin doing?"

"You shouldn't have favorites," Percy muttered, hoping to distract her.

Thalia only winked.

Percy's shoulders slumped, admitting defeat. "I'm-I'm fine. A bit tired though. The time difference is giving me a bit of a headache." He rubbed his forehead.

"How much is the time difference between New York and Alaska?" she wrinkled her nose.

"Alaska is four hours behind New York," answered Annabeth,

She gave Luke a glass of water and Thalia a plate filled with mini honey crackers overflowing with blackberries and raspberries.

Thalia picked at the berries, smiling in happiness as she chewed.

"Before I forget I meant to tell you, the family are on their way here," she swallowed.

Annabeth turned to look at her. "What?"

"Did you really think you could keep this a secret from them? You can't keep Percy hidden here forever. By the way, not telling me he was going to be here yesterday? Such a selfish move, Annabeth. I'm hurt." She placed a hand over her heart.

"How many times have I told them to call before they drop by? No, this can't be happening," she groaned.

"They're his family, not a pack of wolves," Thalia defended.

"I beg to differ. A few of Percy's relatives can be classified as animals."

"I, for one, think it's a great idea. Percy needs to be surrounded by people who love him and support him. It's about time he met the entire family."

"Thalia, all they do is tease him and poke fun at him whenever they get the chance. They treat him as if he's some sort of joke. I don't think he's ready for them yet. They're rude, obnoxious, and don't know when to shut up. They'll ruin everything," explained Annabeth.

"If you two are done talking like I'm not here, then I'll tell you what I think. I think I'm ready as I'll ever be. Bring it on, I say. They can't be that bad, right? After all, we're family," he said.

Someone knocked on the front door, each tap persistent and clear.

Annabeth paled even more. "Too late," she muttered.

**_~0~ _**

Percy was wrong.

Just like Annabeth said, Percy's family didn't know when to shut up.

It started when Aunt Callida, or Hera as she liked to be called, made a nasty comment to Annabeth, telling her how awful the condo and Percy looked. According to _Hera_, it was the women's place to be a housewife, taking care of both the house and her husband.

Annabeth responded by telling her to stuff her sexist opinions up her piehole.

The rest took it as a sign to start listing things they didn't like and fill Percy with dread by asking him questions. The questions were blunt, rude, and nosy. It ranged from the typical "is it true you don't remember anything" to "someone actually gave you a job considering you could be a serial killer for all they knew".

There was one moment Percy actually thought he would start throwing punches. Normally, Percy prided himself in not being a violent person, but it seemed this so wasn't his day.

It had started innocent enough with his cousin Diana exclaiming how lucky Percy was that Nico had found him.

"If you ask me, that was no coincidence. You actually think Nico, of all people, just happened to stumble on poor little Percy here? Come on, how unlikely is that? No, I think Percy was hiding some slut of a girlfriend up there. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out he's married and has kids on his own, huh? The wife probably found out about sweet Annabeth and kicked out his good-for-nothing ass. Then he called Nico, who knew about it all along, and they invented this ridiculous story to make us all look like fools," ranted one of Percy's uncles.

A murmur of mixed opinions spread out between Percy's family.

This particular uncle of Percy was fat, bald, and lived to make lives miserable. His name was Gabe Ugliano, he used to be an accountant but he retired now. The only reason he technically counted as Percy's "family" was because he married Percy's aunt.

"You're crazy," Percy shook his head in disgust.

"I'm not crazy. I just don't believe you," he grunted.

"I don't care if _you_ believe me or not." Percy's hand turned into a fist and he looked down, trying to control his emotions.

"The only thing I don't get is how you fooled Annabeth. I thought she was smarter than this. But considering she's with you, I guess she's more stupid than she looks," he sneered.

Thalia paled and looked at Percy from the corner of her eye.

Percy's head snapped up and he turned to glare at him from where he was standing. "You piece of-" he spat out.

He was interrupted as Annabeth walked towards Gabe and slapped him.

A red flush was rapidly appearing on Gabe's face, whether from the slap or anger Percy's didn't know.

"Get out," she ordered.

This time it wasn't meant to be playful or teasing. It was filled with tight anger and slight disappointment.

"All of you get out!" she yelled, her hands shaking and eyes closed.

Percy knew they wanted to complain or shout back, but they all kept their mouths shut and with uptight frowns painted on their faces left.

It was awhile before Annabeth opened her eyes. Thalia and Luke had left, murmuring apologies and goodbyes. It was just the two of them.

"I'm going to the guest room, ok?" she whispered, leaving without a backwards glance.

This left Percy alone in the living room. Deciding that standing by yourself in an empty living room was not fun, he headed to his room.

As soon as he was inside, he threw himself into his bed, wanting to scream.

He groaned and shifted to his back.

He stared at the ceiling, seeking comfort in its sky blue paint. Not finding some hidden answers in the walls, he crawled to the edge of the bed and grabbed the picture on the bedside table. It was a picture of Annabeth deep in thought, blonde hair falling forward and a far away look on her face.

It calmed him down enough to glance around his room.

Autographed posters of the Harry Potter cast were framed and hanged on one side of the wall. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw scarfs were neatly folded on top of a dresser. There were feminine touches here and there to the micromanaging neatness of the room and the broad collection of movies starring Robert Downey Jr. (Percy somehow doubted he was the one with the mad crush on that guy.)

Annabeth knocked on the door, even though it was open. "Can I come in?" she asked, her other hand behind her back.

"'Course," Percy told her, sitting up.

"I bought a peace offering." She moved her hand from behind her back and lightly shook a box of Chips Ahoy! in front of her.

"It hasn't been opened yet," he realized. "You shouldn't have."

"You should be honored that I'm letting you have the first cookie. It's a privilege not many people get to have." She sat next to him and carefully opened the blue box.

"I _am_ honored." He took a bite from the cookie. "Chocolate chip cookies are the best," he quietly moaned.

Annabeth hummed, taking small bites from her cookie.

"You okay?" he asked.

"A bit pissed off but other than that, just peachy."

"I'm sorry about that. About him," he clarified.

"That's not your fault."

"I know but I still feel responsibility for...that."

She sighed. "I'm not mad that he implied that I'm a total idiot. I'm actually not just mad at him. I'm mad at everyone."

Percy raised an eyebrow.

"If a family member disappears for over a year and returns with no memories of you, you welcome him back with open arms. Not make him look like some sort of cheating liar that only came back for the money. It was a second chance to redeem themselves for how they treated you all those years and they threw it away like it was nothing."

"Is that what you think this is? A second chance?" he thought aloud.

"Don't you?" She looked at him.

"I guess. I mean I haven't really thought of it much."

"Well it's a positive view of this situation. It keeps me from over thinking this too much," she admitted.

"How _do_ you feel about this?"

"I'm fine. Seriously," she laughed.

Percy smiled faintly.

He wasn't calling her a liar but he didn't believe her. He didn't doubt in the slightest that she was handling this situation. She was the bravest person he met. But as much as she put on an act and pretended everything was fine, Percy knew that underneath it all she was confused and hurt as he was. Hell, maybe even more.

He just didn't know when she wouldn't be able to handle it all anymore.

* * *

**A/N: Since I'm an idiot, I had to type all of this chapter this morning. I'm grouchy and tired, and I'm going to reward myself with a much-appreciated shower, ice cream, and some Teen Wolf episodes. **

**This chapter hasn't been edited so all mistakes are mine. I tried to edit all mistakes, but if there is still some, sorry about that.**

**So I really need to find some PJO or preferably The Mortal Instruments fanfiction. If any of you guys have some suggestions, hit me up people! If not, I'll just try to find some later. **


	9. Don't Wanna Go

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan is the one leaving us with cliffhangers.**

* * *

_Without a Trace: Chapter 8_

It was strange how life could change in a few days. A person could go from a determined angst-filled employee to a confused angst-filled moron who lived with his girlfriend and bonded with her.

It was something Percy found nerve-wracking. How life could spit you right in a terrifying place that could and would change your life yet it continued on. Life was life after all.

And just like the brownies Percy's mom made for him, life could be sweet sometimes.

Percy knew he should feel relaxed. Everything wasn't perfect, but Percy wasn't looking for perfect. It seemed that his days began and ended with Annabeth and his makeshift family was somewhere in between. He hadn't bothered wasting time by thinking about his dad's side of the family. He was slowly starting to put together answers, and he lived for those moments. Overall, he was content, he didn't remember ever being this happy.

Call him melodramatic, but he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Things just couldn't be this good, the universe didn't play by these rules.

It was only a matter of time until it all fell apart.

It turned out he didn't have to wait that long.

_**~0~**_

Sally had started a new game called "bonding time"; she demanded the others to follow it. The rules were fairly simple, every day a different group of friends stopped by the condo. They made it a point to stay the afternoon and leave after dinner. As a result, Percy always had fresh company every day. Sally was determined in making her son re-meet her friends.

Dinner started by Sally making them dinner. Apparently, Percy's cooking skills only extended in making toast and sandwiches and Annabeth wasn't a fan of cooking. Percy would slowly break open the beer or wine as his friends drifted in, explaining inside jokes and ridiculous stories.

Percy's emotions were more out of control than ever. They trailed towards anxiety and pressure to excitement and the occasional nerves. He felt like he was back in an airplane, his stomach turning and dropping at every bump.

He could always push those feelings away though, the showering of thoughts filled with smiles, brightness, and smells cleared his mind.

"Percy, can you pass me a napkin please?" Annabeth asked.

He reached to his left and grabbed a few napkins, passing it to her. She muttered her thanks.

Sally had undone herself this night. She started with a Cesar salad, fettuccine alfredo, and ended with apple pie made from scratch. She defended herself by stating that Grover and Nico were dropping by and she wanted to surprise them with a full meal. Percy just thought she loved cooking for people.

"So Percy, I was thinking about setting up an appointment for you with a psychiatrist," Sally told him.

Percy stopped chewing and roughly swallowed his food. "You want me to go to a shrink?"

"I just think it'll be good for you. You can talk to someone who doesn't have biased opinions and they can help you deal with this," she defended.

Annabeth had fallen silent as soon as Sally had talked. She stared at her slice of pie with tight lips, not wanting to show how much she agreed with Sally.

He stared at them both, not saying anything.

Sensing trouble, Nico rushed to calm down Percy. "Think about it, you can talk about whatever is nagging you. No judgement or eye-rolling. You'll finally go outside. The only downside is that you won't see my pretty face that much," he added.

"Fine," said Percy. He continued eating his pie, ignoring the stares.

"Fine? Just like that? No arguments or yelling?" Nico raised an eyebrow.

"No. I just want to enjoy my pie," he nodded.

Sally sighed with relief. "Good. I'll call tomorrow to set up an appointment as soon as possible."

Percy nodded again, concentrating on shoveling pieces of pie into his mouth.

"Seeing how positive you're receiving news today, I've been meaning to talk to you. Since you left I took over your responsibilities while still handling my own. The top bosses let me do it as some sort of consolation prize. But since they found out you're still alive, they want to know when you're going to get back in the game," explained Grover.

"Don't they know I have amnesia?" Percy's eyebrows pulled forward.

"They know and they don't care. They want to know what day you'll return, they have this illusion that you can still do your job."

"I don't know _anything_ about my job Grover. I have no clue what I intended do to with the game and I don't even know my password at least," Percy argued.

Grover brushed it off. "It's fine, I can hack in. Either way, it's not like we're going to start selling in a few weeks. Video games take a lot of preparation, dedication, and details. We-_I_-just need to know your thoughts and ideas about the mash-up. I need to know your plan."

Percy sighed. "I understand, I really do, but I can't help you. I don't even know what was my plan. Can't you just read my notes and do it yourself?"

"Percy, my future is in your hands. Do you understand that? You were the one who thought of this. I had to tell them what I knew about your idea, which wasn't much. You kept real quiet about all of this. You're the one who should be reading your notes and telling me what the hell you were thinking. In case you haven't realized, it's your job also."

Percy laughed a sharp laugh. "Of course, what was I thinking? I'll do it, it's not like I have anything else to do." He crossed his arms tightly, his pie abandoned.

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to. I'm not making you do anything," Grover scoffed.

"I never said that. I'm doing it because I want to," he replied, "When do I start?"

"On Monday, you only have two days left." Grover stood up.

"Where are you going? You haven't even finished your pie," Sally told him.

Grover rubbed his neck. "Sorry, I just realized I forgot to do something. I have to go," he lied.

Grover rushed to the door, ignoring Sally's protests.

Sally returned, taking a few plates with her as she left for the kitchen.

"You go man, you sure know how to clear up a room," Nico drawled.

Annabeth took a sip of her coke, shaking her head silently.

"Shut up," Percy snapped.

"As much as I love your good mood today, I have to go," Nico muttered.

"Can't you stay?" asked Annabeth, finally speaking up.

"Nope, I'm going to a party with a friend tonight. After this whole dinner thing, I need some serious cheering up," he groaned.

Annabeth went with him, whispering to Nico as she stood in the doorway. She soon closed the door and made her way upstairs.

Percy grumbled a few curse words, realizing he need to find some I'm-sorry-I'm-such-an-idiot cards.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry about that, guys. My whole schedule is messed up. I'm having a hard time dealing with "meetings" and the fact that I have to go back to school ****_really_**** soon. At the beginning of this story, I picked Wednesday as a day to update because it was the day where I had so much free time. *sighs* Now it's like I have everything piling up and I'm just trying to find my way through. Just want to make it clear, I'm not giving up on the story, but I am going to have to find some rare time to write. I'll still try to update once a week, preferably Wednesdays or Thursdays. I'm actually surprised I finished this chapter, even though I ****_hate_**** this chapter the most.**

**Percy was really in a bad mood this chapter because of me. I've been in a bad mood lately, and I accidentally let it slip into Percy. But next chapter hopefully Percy will buy those "cards" and man up a bit.**

**I read this TMI fanfic that I have such mixed feelings about. I mean it has smut, mental disorders and/or illnesses, Jace being an asshole, etc. The whole fanfic is freaking weird and wild, I kinda like it. I certainly haven't read anything like that. But I still don't know how to feel about it. It's called Crazy by KissingFire, if any of you guys want to check it out. **


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